Inverse Problems in Mitosis

Varada, Alexis A.

Student Work

Inverse Problems in Mitosis

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In this Major Qualifying Project, we study the effects of specific internal forces on mitosis, the process of cell division. Non-bipolar division causes cancerous mitosis, which can be prevented if healthy division is promoted instead. In order to achieve this, we utilize Stokes Flow, which is a system fluid-governing equations that are useful for objects submerged in a viscous fluid and bounded by an elastic membrane (such as centrosomes in cytoplasm surrounded by a cell cortex). We replicate the solutions to these equations, called Stokeslets, and apply these to live-cell location data in MATLAB to calculate the forces that catalyze certain cell movements during mitosis. We summarize the methods that generate maximal efficiency with minimal error when computing these forces, as well as analyze this data for behavioral trends. We discuss the results of this analysis and how we can use our data and calculations to prevent cancer in current and alternative contexts.

This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

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